February 23, 2006

Doug Duncan, the Montgomery County Executive (and former Mayor of Rockville), who is now seeking the Democrats' nomination to run for governor against Bob Ehrlich, appeared today at a senior center in Wheaton to announce a lawsuit against the feds for refusing to let the county import drugs from Canada. On the program with him was Bruce Dunton, the president of the Alliance for Retired Americans for Montgomery County and District of Columbia.

Dunton began to distinguish himself by criticizing the Bush administration. No surprise there. But he went on to say this: "We got to get some terrorists removed from the White House, that is what we are going to do, because that is where they are. They are denying us the drugs we are entitled to have so we can live a decent life." And, no, he wasn't suggesting that Bush had invited Al Qaeda to run the White House policy shop.

So what did Duncan do? Did he denounce Dunton's inflammatory rhetoric or tell him to cut it out? Do snakes have elbows?

No, according to the Post:

Duncan didn't immediately respond to Dunton's remarks. A few minutes later, a reporter asked Duncan if he agreed with such statements. Duncan started saying no, but Dunton interrupted him.

"He doesn't have to agree with me but that is what I believe," Dunton said. "We got all this money going to beating terrorists and they are working against us on every program I grew up" with.

Duncan then said, "We are together on prescription drugs and we are apart on this. We are working together with the White House, the Congress and the state to protect our country."

"We are apart on this." A heroic stand, that. OK, so Dunton isn't Suha Arafat and Duncan isn't Hillary. But I find it discouraging, even if not surprising, that so few Democratic office holders will distance themselves from the nutjobs.

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